Magi
Let me break my writing's usual themes for a moment as I vent my feelings toward a manga that I really adore, Magi. It could possibly be my favorite of all time...we'll see how it goes from here.
Recently I had to catch up on many chapters that I had fallen behind on (because I kept getting disinterested in the long battle scene in Magnostadt), so of course I binge read them in about 2 sittings.
Long story short, I was blown away by the complexity of the plot development.
If I wanted to make it short, I wouldn't be writing here, though...
In some of the latest chapters it introduced (and expounded upon) huge philosophical concepts questioning the foundations and ethics of subjects like socialism, relgion, free will, and "right to rule". It also heavily criticizes "colonialism"/conquest of other countries, and seems to indirectly criticize Asian cultures (perhaps Japan itself) for destroying the culture and history of the regions/peoples they conquer. INTENSE SHIT, especially because I am currently in South Korea where Japanese colonialism has long-lasting consequences and impressions (the horrors of that period are still fresh on many Koreans' minds more than 40 years later).
The criticism of colonialism plays into a larger theme in the whole series, "how does one create a peaceful society?" or "how can humanity obtain world peace?"
The series seems to cast a very negative judgement on Eastern cultures, with the "Koh" empire as the charicature of Eastern culture as a whole. (Funny, since the series is Japanese)
It also heavily criticizes the concept of monarchy and royal lineage... funny since the plot revolves around characters who are all trying to become "king".
On the other hand, democracies and peaceful alliances are set up to be the most appealing and heroic, but the writer does not spare the leaders of such organizations from criticism. It has been repeatedly implied that Sinbad-the leader of an island utopia and its partner alliances- has some dark intention. And the embellishing of the ineptitude and naivete of Alibaba- our poster boy for democracy- has been a huge element in the comedy of the series from the very first chapter.
It was very prudent of the writer to model all of these fictional governments after ancient societies, since the secondary antagonistic factor is government itself.
As a side note, the use of names and ideas from Arabic folklore and the Lesser Key of Solomon appeals to me in ways I can't even describe. It's truly fantastic.
Back to my rant about thematic plot development: The major antagonist of the series has suddenly become rather problematic... that is, extremely interesting and so terribly and wonderfully controversial. Al Thamen appeared for most of the series to be some mysterious cult. It was made so mysterious and so particularly cult-like, in fact, that I often wondered if it's even worth thinking about... then suddenly, through the recent reveal of it's origin (in Alma Torran) it turns out to be the most amazing critique of all.
I have to confess, this really hits me close to home. This is actually the reason I felt like I had to write about this here.
Al Thamen, the most evil organization in existence (in the series) is actually... wait for it... a charicature of Christianity. Boom. Amazing. I actually feel so dumb for not noticing this earlier (or maybe I noticed and forgot). The Koh Empress (evil witch) often refers to her apparently evil god as "our father", why did I not notice it sooner!!!!
Major spoiler alert here...
This evil god created the world and all its inhabitants including various (mythological/demonologic) races. All life is connected by an energy/lifeforce (Rukh) that returns to that god when it dies. Why is this god evil? Because its intention governs the world through that energy creating a sort of destiny/fate. No matter what you do, according to this god's will, all life is destined to suffer, fight, kill and die. The weakest species, humanity, obtains a power directly from god- leading them to believe that they are chosen to rule (they call this power magic, but we might as well call it "miracles" in my opinion). Anyways, they believe they are chosen by god and create an obsessive cult-like religion where a King, also chosen by god, rules over everyone else. Eventually the most religious (indoctrinated children, actually) are coerced to sacrifice their lives to control the other species- essentially forcing them to live like savage beasts by taking away their intelligence.
Do we have a relgion in the real world that considers humanity priveledged and loved by a creator who allows (maybe even intends) them to suffer and fight each other - living as servants to an all powerful master until they die and return to be one with him? Does that same religion also happen to breed leaders who claim to have favor from such a creator and use such a claim to control and manipulate their own people into sacrificing themselves in wars to gain even more control over people? Does such a religion indoctrinate children to hate and look down on people who are different than them, instead of understanding them? Does it even promote blind faith in such a force over one's own logic and pursuit of knowledge? HMMMMM
WELL... let's also consider those damn rebels! They begin by questioning what they are really giving their lives for- questioning the doctrine. Then, by trying to communicate with and empathize with the species they once judged and controlled, they realize that understanding each other is possible and essential to creating a peaceful and equal/hopeful world. They continue to fight to allow all species to think for themselves, by sharing this knowledge. They try to unite the world under the concept of "love". They do not desire power, only freedom... and when they discover god's true intention- and the futility of their choices and their lives- they decide to destroy god and replace his will with their own. They wish to free all life to pursue happiness and love through their free will. They also prize understanding and communication over all trivial conflicts.
No wonder they are our protagonists...
...but wait, they are all the demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon! DEMONS! Wow, I am so impressed. In case you missed it, I really agree with the criticisms against Christianity (religion in general actually), and feel like the intentions and cause of the main characters is also the best possible motivation for humanity.
Ok, this all might not make much sense because I was trying to cram a lot of thoughts about this into a small space. I didn't even get to talk about what's going on in Balbadd, or my feelings towards Ugo and the Djinn!!! Well, if you are interested, maybe we can chat some time- or I can rant at you for several hours some time :P
I really recommend this series- both for the Shonen appeal and for the literary/intellectual appeal. Truly a wonderful series. I really can't wait to continue through the story (and I am actually sad at the prospect of an end....I am so happy they just hinted that 2 major story lines remain (exploring the other side of the great rift and discovering a way to change the color of a souls Rukh). I love this series so so much- please read it if you have time!
Recently I had to catch up on many chapters that I had fallen behind on (because I kept getting disinterested in the long battle scene in Magnostadt), so of course I binge read them in about 2 sittings.
Long story short, I was blown away by the complexity of the plot development.
If I wanted to make it short, I wouldn't be writing here, though...
In some of the latest chapters it introduced (and expounded upon) huge philosophical concepts questioning the foundations and ethics of subjects like socialism, relgion, free will, and "right to rule". It also heavily criticizes "colonialism"/conquest of other countries, and seems to indirectly criticize Asian cultures (perhaps Japan itself) for destroying the culture and history of the regions/peoples they conquer. INTENSE SHIT, especially because I am currently in South Korea where Japanese colonialism has long-lasting consequences and impressions (the horrors of that period are still fresh on many Koreans' minds more than 40 years later).
The criticism of colonialism plays into a larger theme in the whole series, "how does one create a peaceful society?" or "how can humanity obtain world peace?"
The series seems to cast a very negative judgement on Eastern cultures, with the "Koh" empire as the charicature of Eastern culture as a whole. (Funny, since the series is Japanese)
It also heavily criticizes the concept of monarchy and royal lineage... funny since the plot revolves around characters who are all trying to become "king".
On the other hand, democracies and peaceful alliances are set up to be the most appealing and heroic, but the writer does not spare the leaders of such organizations from criticism. It has been repeatedly implied that Sinbad-the leader of an island utopia and its partner alliances- has some dark intention. And the embellishing of the ineptitude and naivete of Alibaba- our poster boy for democracy- has been a huge element in the comedy of the series from the very first chapter.
It was very prudent of the writer to model all of these fictional governments after ancient societies, since the secondary antagonistic factor is government itself.
As a side note, the use of names and ideas from Arabic folklore and the Lesser Key of Solomon appeals to me in ways I can't even describe. It's truly fantastic.
Back to my rant about thematic plot development: The major antagonist of the series has suddenly become rather problematic... that is, extremely interesting and so terribly and wonderfully controversial. Al Thamen appeared for most of the series to be some mysterious cult. It was made so mysterious and so particularly cult-like, in fact, that I often wondered if it's even worth thinking about... then suddenly, through the recent reveal of it's origin (in Alma Torran) it turns out to be the most amazing critique of all.
I have to confess, this really hits me close to home. This is actually the reason I felt like I had to write about this here.
Al Thamen, the most evil organization in existence (in the series) is actually... wait for it... a charicature of Christianity. Boom. Amazing. I actually feel so dumb for not noticing this earlier (or maybe I noticed and forgot). The Koh Empress (evil witch) often refers to her apparently evil god as "our father", why did I not notice it sooner!!!!
Major spoiler alert here...
This evil god created the world and all its inhabitants including various (mythological/demonologic) races. All life is connected by an energy/lifeforce (Rukh) that returns to that god when it dies. Why is this god evil? Because its intention governs the world through that energy creating a sort of destiny/fate. No matter what you do, according to this god's will, all life is destined to suffer, fight, kill and die. The weakest species, humanity, obtains a power directly from god- leading them to believe that they are chosen to rule (they call this power magic, but we might as well call it "miracles" in my opinion). Anyways, they believe they are chosen by god and create an obsessive cult-like religion where a King, also chosen by god, rules over everyone else. Eventually the most religious (indoctrinated children, actually) are coerced to sacrifice their lives to control the other species- essentially forcing them to live like savage beasts by taking away their intelligence.
Do we have a relgion in the real world that considers humanity priveledged and loved by a creator who allows (maybe even intends) them to suffer and fight each other - living as servants to an all powerful master until they die and return to be one with him? Does that same religion also happen to breed leaders who claim to have favor from such a creator and use such a claim to control and manipulate their own people into sacrificing themselves in wars to gain even more control over people? Does such a religion indoctrinate children to hate and look down on people who are different than them, instead of understanding them? Does it even promote blind faith in such a force over one's own logic and pursuit of knowledge? HMMMMM
WELL... let's also consider those damn rebels! They begin by questioning what they are really giving their lives for- questioning the doctrine. Then, by trying to communicate with and empathize with the species they once judged and controlled, they realize that understanding each other is possible and essential to creating a peaceful and equal/hopeful world. They continue to fight to allow all species to think for themselves, by sharing this knowledge. They try to unite the world under the concept of "love". They do not desire power, only freedom... and when they discover god's true intention- and the futility of their choices and their lives- they decide to destroy god and replace his will with their own. They wish to free all life to pursue happiness and love through their free will. They also prize understanding and communication over all trivial conflicts.
No wonder they are our protagonists...
...but wait, they are all the demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon! DEMONS! Wow, I am so impressed. In case you missed it, I really agree with the criticisms against Christianity (religion in general actually), and feel like the intentions and cause of the main characters is also the best possible motivation for humanity.
Ok, this all might not make much sense because I was trying to cram a lot of thoughts about this into a small space. I didn't even get to talk about what's going on in Balbadd, or my feelings towards Ugo and the Djinn!!! Well, if you are interested, maybe we can chat some time- or I can rant at you for several hours some time :P
I really recommend this series- both for the Shonen appeal and for the literary/intellectual appeal. Truly a wonderful series. I really can't wait to continue through the story (and I am actually sad at the prospect of an end....I am so happy they just hinted that 2 major story lines remain (exploring the other side of the great rift and discovering a way to change the color of a souls Rukh). I love this series so so much- please read it if you have time!
I guess I should try giving it another chance haha（＠v＠;）
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